One of my all time FAVORITE desserts is bread pudding! Thanks to having had family in the restaurant business for many years, we’ve got some AMAZING recipes.
I’m proud to share “Mother’s Bread Pudding” from the world famous Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans–a family tradition.
From my kitchen, to yours!
(This recipe has a high yield…so make it as is for entertaining or if you’ve got a BIG family. If not, then you’ll want to scale it back to 1/4.)
Mother’s Bread Pudding
20 cups Stale French bread (About 5 loaves)
2 oz Brandy
6 Whole eggs
1-1/2 qts. Whole milk
3 tbs. Brown sugar
2 cups Granulated sugar
3 cups Fruit cocktail, in syrup
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg, ground
3 tbs. Cinnamon, ground
1 oz. Pure vanilla (triple this amount if imitation)
2 sticks Butter, softened to room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8″ x 10″ (3″ deep) baking pan with butter. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until all the bread is broken into small pieces. Pour mixture into baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 90 minutes, until edges and top are browned. May be served hot or cool to warm or cold. Top with buttered brandy sauce. Yields 24 servings.
Buttered Brandy Sauce
1 cup Butter, clarified
1/8 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
1 pinch Nutmeg, ground
2 tbs. Dark brown sugar
1 oz. Brandy
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Raise to a boil, then hold warm in a double boiler or a pot set into another pot of hot water.
Tips:
1. The more stale the bread is the better it will soak up the wet ingredients.
2. You can skip the fruit cocktail if you would prefer it plain.
3. You can also skip the brandy and make a white chocolate sauce with imitation rum flavoring (that’s what I do!)
